MY OWN TRIP TO EUROPE

I am on job alternation leave for a half year and travelled alone to Europe.

Amsterdam

I started my two weeks trip from Amsterdam where I stayed three days. Amsterdam is a very nice city, atmosphere feels relaxed and local people are very kindly. For example I was sitting alone in a restaurant on my first evening and there were three locals sitting near me. They kindly asked me to join them after they had noticed that I was there alone. So I got to know Baziel, Miella and Anja. We had a very nice evening together and they gave me many good tips what should I experience during my few days in Amsterdam.

Next days I saw a modern art museum Stedelijk, Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum. One morning I was jogging in Vondelpark and after that I took a tour in canal cruise and went in Adam Tower which is quite new building located in Amsterdam-Noord.

Paris

After these wonderful three days in Amsterdam, I continued my trip by train to Paris. The train to Paris took three and a half hours and it goes via Antwerpen and Bryssel before Paris.

In Paris I felt that city's atmosphere wasn't so relaxed and friendly as in Amsterdam but anyway, it was very interesting and exciting to be alone in Paris! I saw Champs-Élysees, Riemukaari, Musée du Louvre, Seine, Eiffel tower, Centre Pompidou and Notre-Dame Cathedral.

There were very nice and warm weather in Amsterdam. The temperature rose above +30 degrees Celsius at daytime. When I got to Paris, weather was cloudy and temperature was around 15–17 degrees Celsius.

From Paris I took a train to Barcelona. The trip by train from Paris to Barcelona took six and half hours. I was thinking that I could write my blog during that trip but there wasn't free wifi in the train. Afterwards I thought that it would have been be easier and faster to fly from Paris direct to Malaga.

But there I was sitting in that train and going to Barcelona. I arrived to Barcelona around nine in the evening and went to the hotel near the railway station because I had to fly to Malaga early in the morning.

Malaga

I stayed in Malaga five days enjoying the sun and sea. Every morning I went to the beach and walked along the waterfront about one hour and enjoyed about the sun rise. One day I went by train to the Malaga centre and went to see the Picasso Museum. Other days I took sun, swam and ate well. It was very relaxed time and the weather was very warm and sunny.

Barcelona

After this nice sun vacation, I flew back to Barcelona and I stayed there two following days before returning back to Finland. I liked Barcelona's atmosphere. It is little bit messy and noisy city, but people are friendly and metro is easiest and fastest way to move around in the city and see all attractions. I went to see the boulevard La Rambla, Palau Guell, Museu Picasso and the church Santa Maria del Mar, which is very beautiful church near Museum Picasso.

The next day I tried to get to La Sagrada Familia, which was Gaudi's life work. The church is still unfinished and should be ready in 2030. The church is opened at 9 and I was there at 10 am but I only got to hear that the tickets were already sold out for that day. Therefore I only saw the church crypt.

After the crypt I took a metro and went to see Parc Guell, which is huge park area and where also Gaudi lived 20 years before he moved near La Sagrada Familia.

More about this trip you can read from my blog patritara.com. There you can find more pictures and stories written in Finnish.